


Nutmeg in Daurell Caverns

by Ignatii



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Graphic Description, Hurt Prompto Argentum, Hurt/Comfort, I need a beta reader so much, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, Pain, Phoenix Downs (Final Fantasy), Poor Prompto Argentum, Prompto Argentum Needs a Hug, Protective Chocobros (Final Fantasy XV), Protective Ignis Scientia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25507894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ignatii/pseuds/Ignatii
Summary: After the fall of Insomnia, Prompto tries to improve the mood of his friends. But in an attempt to please Ignis and find hulldagh nutmeg for lunch, the group's blond chocobo takes shelter in Daurell Caverns. Things go from bad to worse when a necromancer crosses your path and he needs a phoenix down.orPrompto tries to save everyone's day and almost dies from it.[Story completed!]
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 10
Kudos: 90





	1. Everything for bros

**Author's Note:**

> I just love the story of these four chocobros, especially the little blond chocobo named Prompto. Now, add that and the taste for the angst or hurt stories...  
> I am reviewing the remaining chapters before posting. So, if you like complete stories, rest assured, that I also like. <3

“Hoje é um ótimo dia para pescar, Noc!” disse Prompto excitado enquanto Noctis apenas esfregava os olhos, resmungando, sonolento.

O céu ainda estava muito claro e azul, mas o ar ambiente estava começando a esfriar, uma brisa entrou pela janela entreaberta, balançando suavemente as cortinas velhas e manchadas, convidando o príncipe a continuar enfiado sob as cobertas dos Três Motel Z's.

Aquela área de descanso de Taelpar não era a pior onde eles já estiveram, no entanto, também não era a mais elegante e confortável.

Foi o suficiente para descansar e se recuperar dos últimos eventos.

Semanas se passaram sob um sol escaldante, o ar seco tornava as coisas mais difíceis.

Na verdade, tudo estava difícil ultimamente.

Todos estavam cansados e com pouca paciência.

Nem mesmo quando Prompto quebrou o Regalia e os três caras tiveram que empurrar o carro para Hammerhead com Ignis dirigindo, o tempo estava tão ruim.

Quando o rei Regis lhes disse que chegara a hora decretada e ofereceu sua bênção pela partida do príncipe Noctis, nenhum deles imaginou que ele os esperava no caminho.

Por mais que o rei tenha pedido aos deuses que guiassem seu filho com segurança até Altissia, nenhum treinamento anterior havia preparado qualquer um deles para a queda do reino e a morte daqueles que tanto amavam.

Não parecia algo que pudesse ser simplesmente aprendido ...

Por mais que entendamos as questões envolvidas em uma guerra, ninguém está realmente preparado quando a morte bate à porta e tira de nós aquele a quem devotamos nosso amor e nosso coração.

A queda da Insônia atingiu a alma daqueles quatro amigos como um flash ...

Todo mundo já experimentou a dor à sua maneira, desde então, eles realmente têm lidado com isso da maneira correta. Ignis havia entrado no quarto do motel com um rosto desconhecido até então, com aquele maldito jornal na mão e então tudo virou de cabeça para baixo. Quando a voz de Prompto leu que a insônia havia caído, Noctis não pôde acreditar. Ele pensou que fosse algum tipo de piada, mas Ignis fez o possível para manter as coisas estáveis.

Gladiolus read the headline aloud, he himself did not believe the words that came out of his mouth. They couldn't believe it until they saw it with their own eyes. They needed to go back. But the decision was with Noctis.

However, they failed to cross the city walls.

"You should have some faith ..." Ignis guided, much as he was doubting himself, at that moment.

"Really? Would faith be able to prevent the invading of a pile of imperial battleships?" replied Noctis, ironically and full of irritation.

"Give it a break, princess! We're all worried, you're not the only one with your ass on the hot plate!" Gladio replied.

"My old man had so much faith! And what has so much faith served? Nothing!"

"That's enough, Noctis!" the shield scolded again.

"The Empire has betrayed us, man! It's not like we've left the kingdom!" It was Prompto's turn to speak... He tried to comfort Noctis and his friends, even if it was a little.

"Speculating will not get us anywhere. We are looking for the truth!" Ignis ended, putting an end to the discussion.

After that, after the suspension of the ceasefire, all they could do was try to get to Altissia.

As much as moral pain emerged from them each time they stopped, Prompto always kept his friends in a good mood and mood.

Even on the day that Regalia broke down and Prompto was lying on his back on the pavement, complaining and making fun and drama of being tired of pushing the car, Gladio was so upset and Noctis so frustrated. It was to be expected, after the recent news.  
But Prompto still had some hope. I could still remember how Gladiolus kicked his boot while he was lying on the ground behind Regalia, asking him to get up to push the broken car.

Perhaps, pulling the information out of memory, long before that, when Prompto was still training for crownsguard and Noctis was attended to by Ignis and Gladio for all their needs.

Or even earlier, when they were in high school and their worries revolved around the latest Assasssin's Creed game that had been released recently, and what pizza flavor they would ask for while Ignis complained about the lack of nutrients from that meal.

But those were other days...

In a way, happy days.

Much happier than you could imagine...

Everything was in the past, however.

Lately, despite the rare sun of Duscae shining with all intensity, everything seemed dark in the heart of each one, who suffered his own pain in his own way.

The hunts were tiring, more than usual. For almost ten days the group had been camping in the same refuge to the south. It was as if they didn't allow themselves to rest, because if they stopped to think, everything would come to the surface and, honestly, it was better to focus on the mission of reaching Altissia at least alive.

They needed to save gils after the fall of the kingdom...

The prince and the oracle had been considered dead, and it is not as if they could boast that Noctis was alive. Most of the inhabitants of Leide, Duscae and Cleigne would not be able to recognize the prince's face even if they were talking face to face...

For the vast majority of people, the four were just another group of hunters.

As much as Gladiolus enjoyed the cool night air, even he was a little tired of those adventures’ day in and day out. His pride as a prince's shield, as well as the pride of an entire generation of Amicitia generations, were not enough to keep the bodyguard in good spirits after the latest news.

The advisor was not so much better than the shield. A lifetime of intensive preparation and education had offered him ease in the face of problematic situations, composure in the face of eventual unforeseen circumstances and a formidable tactical acumen to find solutions to the most complex problems. Everything at the disposal of the Crown Prince. However, all of this preparation felt more like dead weight on the shoulders of the survivor of the Scientia clan.

For Noctis, the fear of losing those he loved had materialized. If before he was a young man casually disinterested and bored by the things around him, now he was clearly distant emotionally. His few words become mere nods of yes or no, or a shrug of the shoulders with no interest at all... In his sadness, he increasingly isolated himself from his friends, as if that were possible, trying to keep away them from each other whenever they could. Not even his sarcastic words were heard anymore...

And Prompto... Well... Prom was the sun. Simple. If Noctis was the prince destined to restore the light of the kingdom, Prompto was the light that cherished and illuminated the heart of the prince until his destiny. The slender boy with such vivid blue eyes seemed to be the embodiment of enthusiasm, even though he seemed inopportune. In fact, it was timely and necessary. More than that, fundamental, like a glue joining the pieces of heart of each member of the group. If each did his part, Argentum strove for the four to keep the team going, no matter how much his words were apparently not heard.

And Ignis listened to the young gunner when, after a few days of exhausting hunting, he suggested that they rent a motel stay.

The counselor considered the blonde's request.

After all, what harm would there be in spending part of the gils in a little comfort?

What good would it do to continue so many days with so much stress without a good rest? What good would it do to deplete your physical and mental energies to the point where you could not face the magitek soldiers and the Empire and did not reach Altissia?

Generally analyzing the physical and emotional situation in which the four found themselves, Ignis decided it was time to rent a motel, rest and replenish potions and elixirs. The group had decided to spend a few days at Taelpar, an outpost of Duscae, at last. To the west, there was a lair of coeurls and the boys hunted these animals over and over again that they felt their limbs tingle even after they rested during the night.

Which brings us to the initial conversation between Prompto and Noctis.  
“Today is a great day for fishing, Noc!” said excitedly while the other just rubbed his eyes, muttering, sleepy. “These coeurls are hard work! We need a stop, Prom!” complained Noctis, sulky. The world seemed to fall apart without him doing anything, it was like sand escaping through his fingers.

"We will! Are you going to let the fish play with you again?” he instigated, referring to a streak of bad luck in the fishery that the prince had been having in recent weeks. "Small fish are not your type ... They are beating you!" Since the news of the Insomnia invasion, Noctis has been unable to concentrate even on the small tasks that used to give him more pleasure and tranquility. In the past few weeks, the fish were winning. But Prompto was determined to change the score in the dispute between man and fish.

“The day is beautiful to take some pictures, the sun has given a respite, it is not so hot and hot burning our backs and our heads! Nor is that endless cold and pitiful rain from Duscae, which would end my hair!”

"Shut up!"

"No! I will not let you sink into your bad mood! Even Iggy would appreciate my brilliant idea of taking you on a healthy stroll, especially if we return with some fish for lunch.” The blonde argued, ignoring his friend's harsh words. For the past few days, he was really ignoring all the rude words that came from Noctis. He knew the weight his friend was carrying on his shoulders. And he also knew his role: to ease the burden that Noctis carried.

"Iggy and Gladdy went out to buy groceries for lunch and haven't come back yet... Probably Ignis is looking for potions and elixirs, our stock is almost over, after that last hunt..." he rambled, rummaging through his belongings.

“Prom! Please! I need to sleep!" complained. Noctis was on the verge of a nervous breakdown that day. All he wanted to do was lie between the old, dingy sheets of the motel where they were housed or sink into the hot water in the small bathtub during a long shower. But the friend was irritatingly cheerful and determined to rescue him from where he wished to hide, perhaps forever.

How was it possible that he managed to keep a smile on his face after those events? After all, everyone had lost everything they loved...

"We will! The Daurell fountain is close by, right below one of the arches, the lake is beautiful and transparent! And there are lots of fish for you to distract yourself! Please! I beg!". He said as he pulled the prince by the foot that was off the sheet.

“Okay, okay! You won this one... Iggy will really appreciate fresh trout for lunch”.

"And who knows, he might not forget the vegetables this time?" completed the blonde. “You would really appreciate a delicacy full of fried food! Fried fish and chips!”

The blonde leapt for joy as Noctis stood up. They arranged some things (they did, actually) and, before they could leave, Ignis and Gladiolus opened the door with bags in their hands.

The counselor looked suspiciously at the two boys and the gunner quickly hurried. “Let's go to the Daurell fountain, just a few pictures, Iggy! It won't hurt to take a walk to whet our prince's appetite here!” he spoke with a big smile on his pink lips. “And Noct will bring you some fresh trout for a healthy lunch! We promise to be back before dark!”

"Indeed. There would be no problems on an innocent ride...”

"Yeah!"

"...as long as Gladiolus accompanies you." The advisor added, with a serious voice. Lately, he was more severe than usual. “We never know what we can find. With the Empire lurking, any and all care will be little. We need to take a lot of responsibility for our actions going forward.”

"Oh, no... Come on... We don't need a nanny, Iggy..." whined Prom, noticing Noctis looking down at his feet, visibly sad and dejected. Gladio was trying to stand his ground, but it was noticeable that he was also suffering.

The blonde was convinced that a fishing trip would do well to ease Noctis's tension with recent events.  
I wanted the tour to be like it used to be. Only the prince and his best friend. Two teenagers having fun without worrying about anything.

Even if they weren't around the arcades, fishing was better than nothing...

A return to ancient times even for a few hours.

But there was no way that could happen... No more...

Reality hit their faces like a stormy sea crashing on the rocks by the sea.

News of the Niflheim invasion of capital rang out on every radio station wherever they stopped, like a slap in the face for everyone. But Prompto managed to be that little ray of sunshine that amazed the darkness of the most difficult days with his almost innocent good humor. He was the only one who managed to extract a smile, however rare, from the young prince's face. So Ignis saw no problem with letting the boys get a little distracted that afternoon, under Gladio's supervision, obviously.

"Now, I don't want to babysit the two brats either, they are already grown boys, I trust they can get to Daurell's fountain without killing themselves or something...", said the shield, even though he knew that the counselor would insist that he accompany the two youngest in the group.

“I trust them. I do not trust the informants of the Empire or the Magitek soldiers that they may find at this time that are far from our watchful eye.” Completed Ignis, while removing some items from the bags and tidying up the counter to start preparing lunch, getting a frown on Noctis's face when he saw the vegetables that the advisor had bought.

“You lost, big guy! She will babysit the children here to have fun!” implied Prompto, as he pulled the prince and his shield out of the room where they were. They could still hear Ignis asking them to return before lunch and keep their cell phones on. And even more some recommendations that were left in the air, like radio static, because of the gunner's excitement.

A few minutes of walking among the trees and it would be possible to see the lake where the trout swam calmly.

The three of them crossed the highway and were walking along a narrow dirt road, with a small fence made of small poles driven into the earth.

The tall trees offered a refreshing shade near the lake, where the small pier plunged over the clear water. While Gladiolus found a comfortable position to sit next to a rock that emerged from the ground and picked up the small pocketbook, Noctis pulled out his fishing gear and chose a specific trout bait from Arminger. Upon realizing that the other two were distracting themselves, Prompto pulled out his camera and whistled as he watched the prince and his shield. Distracted around the lake, he got beautiful pictures of Noctis and his reflection in the mirrored water and of Gladiolus distracted in the mushy literary novel.

They needed that rest.

The sun between the white clouds left the sky to shine, the rock formation of the arches shone, rewarding the photographer's effort with the captured images.

But the blonde's joy didn't last long...

The wind changed direction in less than an hour.

The white clouds fled with the wind and a thick, heavy gray cloud approached. It looked like a mass of cement that was so dense. A drop of thick, heavy water wetted the page that shield was enjoying. And then one more, and one more, and another...

The clear blue sky looked like it would be swallowed by that heavy cloud that strolled so low that it seemed close to the treetops.

"Oh no! Not now!" He grunted, already hearing Noctis complain about being interrupted in the middle of the battle against a heavy trout that pulled the line from the fishing rod.

“End of fun, kids! Let's go back to the motel!” Gladio decreed, closing the book, lifting and shaking off the bit of grass that had stuck to his pants.

“Only this trout! Noct cannot come back empty-handed!” argued the blond after a sneeze.

"Come on, we don't have all day!" complained Gladiolus, seeing that Noctis still insisted on trying to pull the fish. “You are losing, princess. Who knows, maybe you’re luckier next time?” said the shield playfully. This was not enough to assuage the injured pride of the fisherman. Noctis didn't budge. Not the fish. Both fought, and it was not like the prince to give up. Stubbornness could be your last name.

Noctis Lucis 'stubbornness' Caleum.

Gladio was behind the prince, arms crossed, imposing, with the small book in the back pocket of his jeans while the drops of rain water became more intense and Noctis was still trying to get the trout out of the lake. And Prompto encouraged fishing... Even if watching his friend bored him, if that was the way to cheer up Noct, he saw it very well. A great lightning bolt crossed the gray sky and soon after, a loud thunder noise made everything shake. Not just the sky. It seemed that the ground also shook with that thunder.  
The shock of hot air with cold dampness looked like it would cut the sky in two.

A new lightning strike accompanied by more intense thunder.

“Kids, I think this tour is over...” warned the shield.

But Noct was intent and angry.

And excited Prompto... Well, maybe his mood was waning, at that moment... Only the Six knew how much the younger boy hated rain, hated getting wet, hated thunder, hated being isolated without options...

"Come on, Noc! You can!" Then, without warning, the line broke with a loud crack and the fish that fought bravely won the battle. Again.

The prince was further irritated and threw the fishing rod on the wooden floor of the pier with as much force as possible.

“Do not get mad! Let the fish win this time! Nobody will think it is bad! For sure, Iggy is already cooking something tasty and hot for us right now!” he said, as he rubbed his hands on his bare arms. “Besides, it's already getting cold! If I catch a cold, you two will need to drag me back to the motel...” As if there was no longer enough water falling from the sky, that last little complaint from Prompto, added to Gladio's impatience with crossed arms and Ignis's harsh words were the trigger for Noctis.

“Enough, Prompto! Leave me alone! All of you! You will never understand!” Noctis screamed with the full force of his lungs, at the same time as a new ray illuminated the skies and thunder boomed in the ears of the three.

“Calm down, man! It's us, your friends! We understand you!” Prompto said, his voice calm, friendly, hands up, in surrender, while Gladio watched. The shield knew what Noctis was talking about, always knew that that day would come, the day that Noctis would collapse as a prince and that he would need to learn to rise as a king.

I just didn't think it would happen at that specific moment.

The prince's fists were closed so tightly that his knuckles were white and, between them, blood was running slowly because of the nails stuck in the skin of his palms.

Her face was already soaked... Whether it was fresh rain water or saline drops of tears, it was impossible to tell...

It rained like it hadn't for weeks.

It was as if Ramuh himself was in tune with Noctis' feelings.

“How do you do it, Prom?! It looks like you're on a sightseeing tour or a high school tour! Don't you see what happened?! For Eos!”

"I'm sorry, Noc... Sorry... I..."

“Just give me a break, okay? Just... Leave me alone for a whil... ” Prompto could see a fury in Noctis's eyes, but also a deep sadness. He could have sworn he saw red flashes in those blue eyes. "...I just wish it would all disappear a little, I wanted to get away from it all for a while... even for a little while..." He finished saying, more to himself than to others. Not knowing what to do in the face of all those emotions and pains and tears and rain, Prompto did what he knew best. He embraced Noctis with all his strength.

“It's ok... I got you, my friend… I got you...”

And there, in his friend's embrace, the prince allowed himself to cry for the first time in weeks...

Not that it was possible to see the tears running down his face, the rain confused their view.

But by the sobs and trembling of his best friend's body, the blonde could have known that Noctis was on his way to the bottom of the well before making the walk outside.

They stayed in the rain for a long time, under Gladio's eyes, before anyone said anything.

"Do you... uh... Do you want to go back to the motel? Who knows, a hot shower...” Promp suggested. He felt that his friend was tired. More tired than he showed. It was as if the magical energies were draining from him, the blond could feel his friend's pain in his soul.

"Yeah... that would be nice..." Noctis agreed. When he least realized it, he was already walking. Prompto had put his left arm around the prince's waist and lifted it slightly, making his princely steps smooth. The gunner did not hesitate to pull his friend's free arm over his own shoulders, practically suspending Noctis, who only had the small job of putting one foot in front of his foot.

"Come on... It's close... Let's go together, okay?"

The two started walking back to the motel. Noctis regretting bitterly that he got out of bed that day, while Gladiolus walked a little behind them.

When they arrived at the Three Z's Motel room, they were literally soaked, their boots looked like small pools where their feet swam along with their socks. Ignis cooked, he seemed lost in his own analysis. After taking off the soaked clothes, Gladio looked for a towel to dry himself, while Prompto implied. “Uh, big guy! There are bathrooms for these things, don't you think?”

"If it's bothering you, turn your back!"

“Come on, Noct! I need some help here! Gladdy is doing striptease again!” Upon realizing the friend still apathetic, perhaps embarrassed by the display of feelings, he added. “Okay... Let's take off those wet clothes too and take a hot shower, what do you think?”

"You look like Iggy talking like that, Prom..."

"Here..." he said, as he handed some dry clothes and a big, fluffy towel to his friend. "Enjoy the hot water in the bathtub for me". Noctis just responded with a wave and closed the bathroom door behind him.

Gladiolus was already sitting in a chair with his legs crossed and the book in his hands when Prompto looked at him again. They could hear the sound of the water being turned on inside the bathroom.

"Good job, blondie!"

"What? Me? Are you praising me? Oh, by the Six, that's why it's raining so much!” replied Prompto, with a huge smile on his lips.

"I knew it wouldn't be a waste of time to bring you with us!" joked Gladio.

"Now you have hurt my deepest feelings!" Prompto exclaimed, dramatic. It was still wet with rain and wet the floor of the room as well. Ignis had not yet complained and Prom found it strange. Normally Ignis would scold him for that sloppy attitude... But the counselor quiet. Strangely restless.

"Ignis, is everything okay out there?" He asked, unpretentiously, without hearing any answer. He approached a little and coughed slightly, as if to demonstrate his presence. "Uh... Iggy... I heard that there is an area full of nutmeg hulldagh nearby... Would you like some? I know you like using it... ”

"Indeed." it was the counselor's turn to speak up. "I forgot to buy at the market nearby, this is strange. I don't think there was anything to sell, anyway, or I would have remembered it as soon as I saw." And, glimpsing the recipe for lunch that afternoon, completed. "It is not the way I would like it, but it is what we have...".

The blonde was already standing at the entrance to the room, the door ajar.

"Don't worry, I'll bring you a good amount of nutmeg, a stock that will last!"

"Prompto..." the counselor stopped cutting the vegetables and rested both hands on the counter in the small kitchen. "You don't have to do this to be useful... You are important to all of us..." he said in a low, almost inaudible voice. It had not gone unnoticed by Ignis how much Prompto was trying to cheer everyone up while maintaining his own good mood, in a way that was impossible to understand.

And that situation, small anyway, was something new. Forget buying spices and having the gunner offer to look for some. It had never happened... Not like that, without the counselor realizing it. Suddenly, a cold wind crept through the crack in the door and made the hair on the blonde's neck rise. A shock seemed to run down his spine. No, he couldn't fail now. He had been weak in the past, and would not let that happen to him again. And he remembered how he felt when he failed in the past. It was at the time that his parents left him alone. That was when I felt I belonged nowhere. When there was no one who could care if he was alive or dead. That was when he was sure that his life and nothing were the same.

No. He couldn't fail now.

“I'll be right back, Iggy! Keep an eye on Noctis, or he'll run out of hot water at the motel!” Prompto fired, anguish building inside his chest, his breaths quickly becoming shorter and shorter. It was as if Shiva was creating a frozen world within his heart, panic settling in the shallow, cold breaths.

If the weight of death was weighing on each team member's shoulders since they learned of Insomnia's fall, the world seemed to crush Prompto's soft heart at that moment. He was so focused on raising the spirits of his friends, trying to put a smile on everyone's lips, that he had completely forgotten about his pains and what he had lost. The three friends were his world, so to speak, and now that world was also collapsing and he was trying with all his might to keep it upright.

"I know... It's just me... the most clumsy Crownsguard in history Insomnia... The prince's clumsy friend, the displaced guy who didn't have any friends..." to himself as he ran in the rain to get the blessed spice for Ignis.

He was running so fast that he passed the point where they had gone fishing earlier with Noctis. On second thought, I remembered listening to the restaurant man talking about a pile of nutmeg somewhere near the entrance to a cave... That couldn't be as bad as it looked.

Anyway, it was for Ignis, he thought. Anything he did, even if it worked, but that was to make Ignis happy, would be worth it.

Meanwhile, in the motel room, Noctis left the bath leaving a trail of hot water vapor. “What a good smell, Specs! Just don't tell me it's one of those vegetable broths that you love to make... ”

“I am grateful to the Astrals that their mood has improved, Your Highness. If you had brought a trout from your most recent catch, I could do something fried for you, but for now, that's what we have. It is nutritious and that is what matters most.” Replied the counselor from where he was, the small annex of the room that could be called the kitchen.

"Where's Prom, guys?"

"He said he went to get Ignis something to cook..." replied Gladio for Noctis, without taking his eyes off the pages of the novel.

“How long has he been gone? It's a horrible storm outside... ”

It was at that moment that Ignis dropped the knife he used to cut the last vegetables and really paid attention to what was said.

"Storm? What do you mean, a thunderstorm?"

"So, water falling from the sky in great quantities, wind whistling cold, the ground full of dirty and wet mud, daemons loving the light parrot, things like that...” mocked Noctis. "I thought you would scold us for wetting the bedroom floor!"

They were all so engrossed in their own pains and in their own affairs that they had not noticed the time passing. Upon realizing the fact, Ignis seemed to feel that all of his blood had been drained from his body, a sinister chill ran down his spine and a lump formed in his throat. With speed, he crossed the room and looked for his own device on the bedside table between the two beds in the room.

 _Have your phone... Have your phone..._ The counselor repeated in his mind. Sweat running down his forehead, he searched for the quick contacts and hit the dial icon.

At that moment, Gladio and Noctis just watched, without understanding much.

 _Answer the phone... Answer the phone..._ I insisted mentally while listening to the repeated rings. Realizing the beginning of the mailbox, he tried again and again...

“What is it, Iggy? Did the boy get into trouble or something?” asked Gladio, trying to look casual.

"The area where the hulldagh nutmeg is found is close to the entrance to Daurell caverns..." He spoke slowly, controlling his breathing, so as not to cause concern for the other two. However, it was impossible. They were already as attentive on the phone as Ignis himself. After the fourth attempt, the counselor heard a familiar voice on the other end of the line and took a deep breath with some relief.

"Where are you, Prompto?" Ignis went straight, there was no time for formalities.

"...Iggy?" Prompto asked from the other side, amid the static caused by bad weather.

“It's me, dear. Where are you?" He asked again, with emphasis and concern.

"Sorry, I didn't find nutmeg... I'll wait for it to stop raining, I found one..." The voice was too low to be caused only by cellular signal problems. Something was wrong. "...there's a cave entrance... I don't like caves, but it's raining a lot... sorry for the nutmeg... I tried but it's raining so much and it's so cold, I can't even look a hand in front of my nose..." Prompto rambled, humming, as if he had a lot of time on his cell phone.

"Just tell me where you are before the rain gets worse and the phone doesn't work anymore."

"Okay... After the lake... a path... and..." Suddenly, in the midst of the loud noise, the voice on the other side disappeared and Ignis could hear the noise of what could be Prompto's cell phone hitting the floor and a muffled scream when the call was finally broken. Prompto was certainly in trouble. The place he was in was not the best place to rest, especially when you don't have potions or elixirs with you. And yet, with the possibility of dangerous daemons lurking.

"Prom..." Ignis sighed, sternly looking at the black phone screen in his hands. A thin line formed on his lips. He thought for a second and clicked his tongue against his teeth. _This is not good..._ He thought.

“Relax... You know, he's the drama queen! He is certainly afraid of ruining that chocobo hair... ”

“Something tells me that this time it is not just a drama... And I prefer to meet him before the daemons. We have many hours before dark, but this rainy weather makes things worse.”

"Where did he take shelter, anyway?" Asked Gladio, still trying not to look worried, but Noctis, silently beside him, was already putting on his boots and jacket.

“He's probably in the Daurell Caverns. As far as I know, there are puddles of poison on the ground and dangerous daemons, especially necromancers. If Prompto really seeks shelter from the rain there, it is likely that he is in danger.” The advisor replied in a shaky voice, turning off the stove flame, while looking for the items he would need.

"Que merda! Quantas poções nós temos, Iggy?" Gladio disse, já preocupado.

“Contando os que comprei com a mercearia, ainda são poucos. Então, isso terá que ser o suficiente. ”

"Pelos Seis, garoto ... No que você se meteu?" exigiu o escudo, reclamando para si mesmo, mais preocupado do que preocupado. Ele sabia que Prompto só tinha se metido nessa confusão porque estava tentando agradar a cada um deles, em uma tentativa desesperada de aliviar os fardos que cada um carregava em seu coração. E isso foi motivo suficiente para procurar o pequeno chocobo loiro do grupo antes que algo de ruim acontecesse com ele.

(continua)


	2. Finding Prompto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, the brothers look for their chocobo blonde puppy at the Daurell Caverns and things get really worse.  
> I hope they arrive on time.

It wouldn't be a problem to run in the rain if the boys weren't so worried about their little blond chocobo.

The raincoats prevented their clothes from being soaked by water, but it did not prevent them from feeling cold. On second thought, maybe this cold wasn't physical...

They spent so much time worrying about their own tasks and feelings after the invasion of the capital, that they no longer looked like a team. It was more like four guys walking, hunting, or camping together - and that's it. Not exactly four guys, but three guys and a human-shaped glue. Prompto was that glue between them.

And the three felt, at the time they were running, that they were looking like a team again. But something was really missing. The advisor ran fast ahead, ahead, while Noctis followed, along with Gladiolus. It seemed that the counselor was looking for his own lost soul.

Suddenly, Ignis stopped, hands on his knees. He was looking for some breath for his burning lungs.

"We shouldn't have stopped by that store before we came... It just delayed us!" Noctis complained, also catching his breath.

"Bullshit! This is great bullshit! We don't know what we will find, princess! Ignis knows what he does!” Replied Gladio, giving the youngest a gentle slap on the back. "We will find our boy, stay calm..."

“You don't know him like I do, Gladio! Prom knows how to be stubborn when he wants something! But he wouldn't have to leave if we were doing what everyone expected us to be able to do...”

"And what do your highness think we were not doing?" Replied Galdio, arms crossed and irritated face.

“Gladio, you are only here because you are my bodyguard, my shield! Since I was born, you have always been by my side, just like Ignis, my advisor! It's not like you have any choice... Nor did I have a choice... But Prompto... He accompanied us by his own choice, he became a crownsguard so that he and I could remain friends, so that it was possible to be around my side as my best friend and still be able to protect me! What kind of king will I be if I can't even keep my best friend safe, Gladio?” Noctis seemed to say all those words without even breathing.

“It is not like that! He trained to be a crownsguard because he wanted to, he knew the risks he was taking when he volunteered to accompany you to Altissia, it's not like he was really a helpless chocobo puppy!”

"You two! Stop this silly discussion! We need to keep our mind sharp, necromancers are known to be able to cause spells of confusion and...” The counselor could not finish speaking, as he noticed Noctis's face close and he became more serious than he was.

There was no need to ask, the three of them had felt the subtle change in Arminger's energy.

It was Prompto. He had taken out one of his best revolvers from the ether.

"He's really in danger... Shit!" complained the prince, advancing on the small dirt road, which at that moment had become full of mud. This time, the counselor did not scold him for using an inappropriate word. Like the youngest, he was shouting some bad words in his worried mind.

Meanwhile, in the cave, the blonde sneaked between the rocky walls, between reddish areas of iron deposits and yellowish rocks. Stalagmites that emerged from the moist soil, as tall as the place was old.

He defended himself as much as he could, shooting each of the skulls that appeared around him. That big daemon was actually very dangerous and Prompto was cursing himself now for not paying attention to Ignis's lessons on the daemons that inhabited each region.

That looked really bad. Almost thirteen feet tall... That must have weighed more than eight hundred pounds. What is the chance of a gunner against a magic creature like that? That thing seemed to have come out of one of the horror movies that Noctis liked to watch when Ignis was not overseeing their enjoyment. Perhaps it was the personification of his worst nightmares... The hope remained that the bullets in his revolver would not run out before he found a way out of that situation.

Balls and more balls of dark energy exploded against the rocks, but Prompto was quick to deflect the gravel and small debris that fell from the walls and ceiling. The creature floated towards him, and the blonde thanked the Astrals for having lost so much in their early teens and becoming faster than that evil being determined to wipe out his life.

_Damn time I decided to take shelter in that damn cave! Before I had returned without any nutmeg!_

He was already getting tired of escaping the dark attacks and skeletons that emerged from the stony soil as if they were plant shoots. They were not the toughest daemons he had ever faced, but he needed to be sure. With just one shot, they fell to the ground in smoke.

_How do these guys manage to emerge out of nowhere so fast? They look like weeds! It has no meat, only bones and can appear like a swarm of bees! What the hell!_

But he was already tired, wet and cold. A dark green shirt and a black sleeveless vest were not the best attire for such an event. He couldn't remember how much time had passed since he spoke to Ignis on the phone. It would be nice if your cell phone still worked and had some signal at that moment, maybe they could find your last location by GPS, after all, it was not that far from where the cell phone had fallen from your hands.

Either way, time seemed to go by faster than it actually did when it was flooded with adrenaline like that. When he spoke to Ignis on the phone, his soft heart made him act sly, making a pout with his lips as if the counselor could see his sad face, perhaps that would move the older blonde's cunning heart and get an affectionate look from those eyes greens he loved so much... But, now, that strategy seemed a great folly... Moving Ignis with a sly voice would be impossible!

It wasn't like he was doing well, he was really wet, hungry, cold, tired of trying to liven up the brothers' morale. But when he heard the approaching necromancer, adrenaline propelled him like a stimulating drug in the arteries, pumping blood from the heart to his muscles and brain, giving him the order to run as fast as possible, even if it was not possible to stop the anguished cry he let out.

_I don't want to die here! By the Six, why did they need to be skeletons and a crazy ghost? Couldn't they be coeurls or anything susceptible to bullets? Why did it have to be a ghost? Soon a bloody ghost who must only die with magic! I thought, while activating another demonic skeleton that appeared nearby._

Noctis, Gladio and Ignis were running as far as they could in that rain. Before long, they were already at the entrance to the Daurell Caverns, and the advisor was quick to look for any clues from the gunner, but it was Noctis who hurried to the fork.

"Specs, look!" called the prince, pointing to something that shone in a corner. “Prompto's cell phone! Come on, he shouldn't be far away.”

"Where to now?" Complained Gladio when he realized two paths. "Specs?" he called, looking worriedly at the friend who held the cell phone of the youngest boy in the team in his gloved hands.

"I am thinking... It is not possible, with the information we have at this very moment, to make a decision with solid bases." replied Ignis, after a few long seconds. _Oh, darling, if we had looked at anything other than our own problems, you wouldn't be in that situation..._ he thought to himself, as he closed his eyes tightly and put the device with a yellow chocobo sticker in his pants pocket.

"He was supposed to be at the entrance to the cave, what curse did he decide to venture into here, just because of some nutmeg?"

"Maybe he didn't have a choice, Gladio. You know Prompto... He was so concerned about pleasing us and taking care of us the way he knew, that he ended up forgetting himself... So, he was out of choices..."

The three felt a new shift in the Arminger's energy, but it was impossible to know which of the two Tunnel Prompto had followed.

“Noctis, Gladio, you go on the left. I'll go on the right. These caves have openings where the tree roots above us infiltrate, so it is likely that we will continue to hear the sound of rain for some time even inside the cave and that sounds of battle can be muffled for some time, causing we can't see the danger in front of us, do you understand? Do your cell phones work, is there any signal?”

"A signal barrel, you can only send a text message..." replied Noctis, looking at the device itself.

“Either way, we are not going to walk long before we regroup to decide on the next strategy. Fifteen minutes of walking and we return to the starting point. Get in touch if you find any traces of Prompto, agreed?”

"Okay, Specs, good luck!" replied the prince, walking hurriedly through the left tunnel, followed by the shield, which assured him "We will find the boy, Iggy, rest assured."

“Keep an eye out. It is no wonder that most hunters avoid the Daurell Canvers. The reputation of this place is not the best.”

The prince and the shield nodded, this was not the time to argue with the advisor. Gladio wanted to argue that it would be better to stay together, that it was safer, however, he knew that apart they would achieve a larger and faster search area.

Ignis had probably thought the same thing. The counselor was emotionally involved in some way with the gunner so the quickest option was chosen. Not that this involvement was exactly bad. Instead.

Ignis was more smiling and in a good mood recently, even allowing younger boys to start more bullshit and fried things, and his brow was no longer constantly frowning. And he was still as efficient in his duties as before. Anyway, that feeling that Ignis seemed to have for the younger blond seemed to be doing him good, even though he himself didn’t realize how many times his voice had changed in intonation when talking to Prompto, or the times he used call pronouns that he wouldn’t normally use when address the boy.

Everything seemed fine until a few days ago. When Insomnia fell, everything his heart had built seemed to have collapsed along with the real city.

But at that moment, what Ignis wanted to do was find his Prompt, and then he went where his heart indicated.

It was better to hurry, or they would not imagine what else the gunner could try to get out of the ether. At least, he still hadn't tried any potions or elixirs, and that seemed like a good thing, at that moment.

Farther down the cave, the gunner was helpless. The skeletons were in large numbers, and as much as the weapon he used fired a large number of bullets at once, he was running out of options.

 _Did you have to be so childish when you spoke to Iggy?_ He reproached himself, while knocking down some skeletons with a few rounds of gunfire.

 _Iggly, I don't like caves... Iggly, it's raining a lot... Iggly, sorry for the nutmeg... Iggly, it's so cold here..._ Prompto remembered, making a mental caricature of your own voice. _Pathetic, Prompto. Really, you are pathetic. He'll be killed by some damn skeleton-shaped daemons straight out of some rock'n'roll clip from those bands that Gladio loves to watch... I could die at the hands of a great daemon, something really imposing, worth the money. work to die, but not because of those undead skeletons, man..._ He was talking to himself, as new rounds of bullets were poured into the skulls of the creatures.

With each burst, he felt shock waves through his body. The adrenaline that his glands discharged into his arteries did not seem to be sufficient to delay the initial effects of hypothermin.

 _And you didn't even get Iggy's nutmeg..._ He laughed at himself. In the middle of a confrontation with daemons, he was thinking about Ignis's spices.

 _At least, you did your duty to keep the team together... Congratulations to me, yeah!_ It irked, with a certain sadness in his voice. The necromancer seemed to have some sadistic intelligence, as he floated commanding the hordes of small daemons as if he wanted to weary his victim little by little.

 _Think Prompto... What would Ignis do for you? Obvious! He would never be in a situation like this to begin with. He would never enter a cave like this without a perfect tactical plan, without an adequate supply of potions and elixirs, and, most importantly, he would never call for help in that pathetic way you did!_ Perhaps it was not the ideal time for Prompto to be depressed, but he had to seize the moment.

 _This is worse than when Noct and I were cornered by a bunch of catoplepas and I ended up stuck with my foot in the mud... Or when I dropped my camera just before I could take the picture of the meteor... I get into each confusion! No wonder the guys don't want to rescue me from this dank, smelly cave..._ He stopped to remember and ended up laughing at himself. He sighed very deeply, trying to think of a strategy to get out of that situation. He couldn't be shooting skeletons forever...

However, without him doing anything spectacular or hitting the great necromancer in a deadly way, everything fell silent and the skeletons stopped attacking him for an instant.

 _What the hell is going on here?_ Adrenaline still running through his veins, his breath came out and almost uneven. His heart looked like it would jump out of his mouth at any moment. He took advantage of the distraction, whatever it was, and hid himself completely behind a large, wide, pointed stalagmine that came out of the ground.

He rested the hot gun against his chest, the barrel smoking. He forced his breath to normalize as much as he could, the taste of bile flooding his mouth. Finally, he seemed to be aware of when his muscles were sore from both the hunts of the past few days and from defending himself against those damn daemons in the cave.

_Think, Prompto... He said to himself, as he checked the amount of bullets he still had. Think... What did Iggy say about these ghosts? What was their weakness? Come on, damn it! Think!_

He knew that someday that day would come, the day that was on its way to meet one of the Six in person. However, he imagined that this would happen when he was protecting one of his friends, like a human shield, standing between the enemy and Noctis, Ignis or Gladio. And it would be painless and quick, or with little pain, like removing a bandage from a scratch.

But now he was there, curled up behind a rock. _I'm fucked up and cornered by a bunch of skeleton-shaped undead. Skeletons!_ He repeated it mentally, reproaching himself for being hidden trying to find some breath to face those damn daemons again, run away and meet his friends again.

Ignis would probably scold him, Gladio would mess up his hair. He would hate to be treated like a child by the counselor and the shield, and that would be annoyingly wonderful for a boy who grew up alone.

_Have courage, Prompto! If you survived all this, Gladdy will still make fun of you... If you had trained more and more and worked hard, none of this would be happening... Noc will be so disappointed, I promised him that the I would accompany Altissia and that we would laugh about it all in the future, I told him that Luna had asked me to protect him and take care of him... Oh, Luna, I'm sorry... And Iggy... oh..._

When he sighed deeply, he felt his lungs burn and his muscles ache. It was now or never.

Then he sneaked up beside the little rock to see the number of daemons behind him and get ready for the last attack, but he was surprised by what happened or rather, what didn't. Everything was quiet, in silence, he no longer saw the frantic skeletons trying to attack him. On the contrary, everything seemed calm, the ghost deamon floated in the opposite direction to what he was hiding.

 _What this damned monster is..._ Before he could finish the question mentally, he heard something that, at another time, would cause a great heat of joy in his soul. He heard footsteps through the sound of rain inside the cave. His senses were always very keen and he thanked the Astrals at that moment for that.

He knew that voice. Ignis was looking for him.

But between the advisor and Prompto was the damn deamon, silent, like a damn coeurl waiting for the ideal moment to attack his victim, with the difference that a coeurl was unable to remain practically invisible and camouflage itself in those damp, rusting rocks.

When a skeleton emerged from the ground, Ignis drew his daggers quickly from the Armiger, but this left him with his back to the great daemon and vulnerable to his attack. The gunner didn't think twice. He shot at what would be the head of the phantom monster, causing all the enemy's attention to be directed at him. He knew the bullets wouldn't have much effect in killing that creature, but at least he had saved time and protected Ignis. It had been worth a lifetime's work.

The blonde had no elemental spells or magic bombs to blow that creature's brains out, if that had any brains to blow, and the daemon's next attack was quick and almost painless.

With just one movement, the necromancer suspended Prompto in the air and, in a dark attack of art of darkness, sucked the vital energy from the gunner, and the young man's skin quickly went pale and his face lost any expression. As pale as wax, as if that were possible.

Ignis was quick to detach himself from the human skeleton-shaped daemon and drop a blizzard bomb, momentarily freezing the necromancer. The counselor opened his green eyes wide, his face filled with a panic that he had not yet experienced in his soul. Time itself had been frozen, momentarily.

Right in front of him, the necromancer was holding Prompto suspended in the air. The bluish eyes so beautiful and bright were dimmed and the arms swayed against the body. The blond did not seem to feel pain, he looked like an anesthetized animal from which the neck is cut and the blood is allowed to drain until there is no life left...

That's how he looked...

A little lifeless blond chocobo, breathing his last breath in a lament...

_Sorry, Iggy..._

Ignis could still read that last apology, which he didn't even know why the boy was apologizing for. A cloud of steam formed in front of Prompto's mouth when he gasped for the last time and his body went limp, his arms loose, his legs stopped any movement, still hovering in the air.

The daemon, with his action being prevented by the frost spell, dropped the blond and the inert body hit the rocky ground with a thud.

The advisor drew his daggers again and attacked the phantom daemon without mercy. Adrenaline ran through his arteries in an absurd amount, seeing Prompto lying there like that made his blood boil inside, and his attacks were getting faster and faster. He attacked and defended himself with such mastery and speed that he hardly noticed when Gladio and Noctis joined him in the attacks.

When his conscience cleared a little and he really realized the prince and the shield were right beside him, he was quick to shout to Gladio to help Prompto.

"Get Prompto and get away from here!" Demanded the advisor, while Noctis disappeared and reappeared in blue specters, attacking the creature from all sides. Gladio still moved toward the daemons, brandishing his heavy sword, but the advisor was stern in his request, and insisted. He could see Prompto reversing on the ground a few feet away and, to make matters worse, he knew that the gunner had been hit hard by the necromancer.

Furthermore, it would be less difficult for Ignis and Noctis to finish off the creature because the advisor knew the weaknesses. Guiding the prince and taking care of Prompto would be two battles to fight and Ignis, frankly, was too nervous inside his heart to focus on two things at the same time. The counselor would need to rely on listening survival training, and he did. He trusted his own life.

But at that moment, he was entrusting Prompto's life to Gladio.

“Do as I say, Gladiolus! I know the weak points of this thing!” he shouted as he attacked the daemon furiously.

"Really, can you handle it here?" replied Gladio, with the big sword still raised, after yet another attack on the daemon.

"The blizzard bomb has crippled him enough, I truly need you to see Prompto and, for the love of all Astrals, Gladio, hurry up!"

That woke up something inside Gladio's soul. The boy looked really bad from what he could see from where he was, when he stopped to pay attention.

His blood froze in his veins and his stomach seemed to have disappeared, the empty size he felt when he looked at the figure of the gunner lying on the rock tunnel. Prompto had his left side on the floor, his head on the floor, motionless, like a small slaughtered animal. In quick, almost desperate steps, the shield knelt beside the pale, bruised body, placing, before any action, its fingers on the boy's wet neck. All I was looking for was a pulse.

Gladio's eyes widened when he didn't find what he was looking for, strangely, he thought he would be sick when the artery in Prompto's neck didn't hit his fingers. A taste of bile and nausea hit him hard. He should always be prepared for this type of situation. But why did he feel so shaken by it? It could be just hypothermia, fainting, or his thick, rough fingers lacked the dexterity needed to find a pulse on the blonde's delicate neck.

So fast when those thoughts crossed his mind was the way he turned his friend's limp body and placed his back against the rocky ground.

"Come on, boy... Don't do this to me!" He said, more to himself than to anyone else. Ignis and Noctis were still facing the ghostly enemy and he could hear the royal sword whizzing through the air.

Hurriedly, Gladio turned his head to the side and pressed his ear to Prompto's chest. Something must be there, some sound must be reaching your ears, something, even a small one, anything that your rough fingers could not find on your neck.

Without thinking too much, he pulled a potion from the ether and broke it on the boy's chest, hoping that some magical miracle would happen like the other times the gunner had been knocked unconscious by some severe injury in battle.

Nothing.

No sound.

No movement of the chest up and down, even in a short way.

Without thinking too much, he pulled something out of the ether again, this time an elixir, and broke it on the youngest's chest.

Nothing again.

The potion and the elixir seemed to have no effect, they were like a cloud pouring over an inanimate goal.

In a hurry, he looked for a cut or bruise that could have caused it, which was the reason for Prompto's shock and found a small cut, very small indeed, on the left temple from where a trickle of blood was dripping slowly, a cut probably caused when the boy fell in that position. Nothing to worry about.

It wouldn't be able to do such damage...

Something was bad, really bad.

Searched the body for any resistance from Prompto looking for injuries, the boy looked like a doll made of scraps in his strong shield arms.

When he didn't find it, he was startled when his amber eyes looked into the expressionless face of the little chocobo in his arms, and he was terrified by what he saw.

Gladio had not yet fixed his gaze on Prompto's face, the shield was more concerned with the boy's survival than anything else.

He had witnessed that kind of look in battle so many times, but never on the face of someone so close.

Never on a brother's face.

 _Oh, no... By the Astrals, Prom..._ Gladio whispered as if the gunner could hear him.

Anguish washed over her soul and her throat gave a loud, agonized cry, loud enough that it was enough to alert Noctis and Ignis that something really, really bad was going on.

With one more stroke of his royal sword, the prince ended the necromancer, which disappeared in thick, black smoke. Then, Noctis was able finally to be warped through the cave and to reach the best friend.

Gladio held the youngest of bears against his strong, bare chest, as if the heat of his could revive the smallest. The listening rocked gently, back and forth, as if little Iris was lulling after a childhood nightmare. Prompto's head hung slightly back in his lap, and followed the movements in a position that would be painful if the boy was minimally conscious.

"I got you, kid... I got you... It's going to be okay, our little chocobo..." He listened in a soft voice, while holding the boy's cold body as if it were a precious jewel that would break the anytime. "No, please... don't do that... just look at me… Please... complain about something, complain about the heat, the rain, anything... Just talk to me again...”

At first, Noctis was surprised by Gladio's attitude. When he got closer, he freaked out as soon as he looked at his best friend's face and saw the lids half open and the blue gaze, which was always so bright, like lifeless glass.

"How much time?" demanded the advisor, next to the prince a second later, almost in despair.

Ignis and Noctis were looking forward to hearing the shield's response, while wishing it were a big nightmare from which they would soon wake up. All this because Prompto had gone out in the middle of a rain storm to look for nutmeg for the cook.

"Come on, Gladio! Answer me! How long?" Ignis asked, very urgently in his voice. He had seen what the necromancer had done. He knew that attack, had studied a lot about each of them, each daemon, each weakness.

The shield pleaded and replied, its amber eyes filled with tears that were hanging, would fall at any moment.

"This is great shit, Iggy... By all the gods, by the Six, for all the god shit..." The shield's voice caught in his throat, it was as if he couldn't breathe himself, just like Noctis, who was at his side. "Tell me we brought the phoenix down...".

(to be continued)


	3. Effects of a Phoenix down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we will follow Prompto's reaction after phoenix down.  
> Well, it is my vision full of anguish and suffering...

At that moment, it was a relief that Ignis had stopped to buy some last supply before going to look for Prompto. Gladio, silently, thanked the Six for the little ‘delay’ when they stopped to buy some potions and elixirs, especially that magic plume. Even Noctis, who had complained so much about the delay, was grateful.

With the gloved hand strangely shaking, the counselor took the 'phoenix down' plume and gently approached the gunner's chest. The three watched intently when the feather fell in the air just above the youngest's chest and a light, like a vapor of orange hot water, poured over the inert body of the gunner that Gladio held so fondly.

'That flabby body' in shield's arms didn't really look like Prompto. Not even sleeping, the boy was able to be quiet, always murmuring and moving. He kicked so much while he slept that, sometimes, the Ignis, Gladio and Noctis played some game of chance to find out who would sleep next to the blond, as surely the 'victim' would suffer a bad night. But for a while, Ignis didn't seem to need to play that game. He even offered to take care of the younger boy, arguing that Noctis needed restful sleep to be healthy and that Gladio slept like a rock and would not be able to wake Prom from some nightmare. In any case, the adviser always ended up having to get up, when he was not sleeping next to the gunner, to wake him from a nightmare before he came to wake everyone in the caravan. And so they were, the two youngest boys between Gladio and Ignis every time they camped, Ignis behind Prompto and Gladio behind Noctis.

These thoughts passed through Ignis' mind at such a speed that he still had his hand on Prompto's chest, even after the plume disappeared, when Noctis called him.

“Specs, how long do we need to wait? This is going to work, isn't it? Tell me he's going to be fine...” the prince had teary eyes too, his breathing was almost suspended, he inhaled and exhaled briefly, and Ignis would be worried about the dark-haired boy if everyone wasn't living a life such a serious situation.

"Try to calm down, Your Highness... I'm sure the phoenix down will have a positive effect... It will be back soon... Between the necromancer's sudden death stroke and the plume's action, not much time has passed.” Said the counselor, trying to convince himself as well, kneeling in front of Gladio and the little yellow chocobo of the team.

Ignis kept the gloved fingers of one hand on Prompto's delicate neck, watching for any changes. The prince's body had moved on its own and he was already on his knees on the rocky floor next to the youngest's head, stroking his tousled blond hair. This was worrying.

Prompto had been until it was common, the blonde had always been a little flustered. But Gladio dismayed and Ignis losing his composure was something that Noctis had not seen.

They knew that the healing ability of magic items had a time limit to be used and hoped that they had arrived in time to save the group's small sunbeam.

The prince had learned in his lessons from the counselor about the power of each potion and elixir, of each healing instrument, the geography of the kingdom and the creatures that inhabited it, but he definitely tried not to remember that lesson about daemons and spells sudden death. And he couldn't believe his best friend was there in front of him, out of action...

Dead.

Deceased

Motionless, static and inanimate.

Just thinking about that words, he felt like he was going to be sick and his stomach turned over in nausea. A taste of acidic bile rose to the back of his throat and he felt like everything was swirling around him. If Ignis was paying attention to the prince's face, he would see that he had suddenly turned pale as blond. He would have thrown up right there if he had had lunch before he left. But even breakfast he hadn't had, he would sleep until lunch if Prompto hadn't woken him up to go fishing... Damn time he agreed to get out of bed... But, anyway, when artilleryman would notice Ignis's dejected and distant gaze, he would find a way to ease the tension and look for something to do, even if it meant stepping out under a cold rain storm and risking his life for a smile on the counselor's face.

Suddenly Prompto groaned. A long, painful noise came from the back of his throat, filled with agony. The flabby body stirred in search of air in the arms of the shield and Ignis was quick to request "Loosen up a little so he can breathe, Gladio...".

That groan was like a dagger piercing the heart of each of them... none of the bros had ever experienced a phoenix down. Not until that moment. And, for all Eos, why did Prompto need to be the first to try it? They looked dismayed and concerned, but a little relieved, too.

That agonized groan seemed to come from the depths of Prompto's soul. A second later, what seemed like an eternity, finally, Ignis could feel slow knocks against fingers that were on the boy's neck, and he finally exhaled, not realizing that he had been holding his breath for so long. While the blond young man was holding his breath, the counselor seemed to have followed and he was also unable to breathe... He let out a deep breath when the beats became a little more noticeable and a little color seemed to slowly return to the slightly bluish lips of the youngest.

The breath started unevenly, like a fish that had been pulled out of the water. Her lips were trembling involuntarily in search of oxygen, her chest began to rise and fall fast, her breaths seemed very shallow. Not only were his lips trembling, but the boy's entire body seemed to convulse in anguished manner, as if he had been struck by a lightning spell.

Thinking about it, it was like seeing someone on the verge of death, only the other way around...

Prompto looked like he was drowning in himself and Gladio soon answered what Ignis had asked him to do. He loosened his tight embrace where the little man was wrapped and sat him down somehow, still holding firmly so he wouldn't fall.

The blond didn't know if he was coughing, trying to inhale, where he was or if he was drowning. It all seemed like a big mess in your mind and body.

 _But why, all Six, was he drowning?_ Prompto took a deep breath of air at the moment when his lungs were still burning and tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were heavy.

 _What's happening to me?_ He thought, trying to locate where he was and what was really happening to him. His ears felt like they were filled with cotton, as if he were still sleeping. But that was an unpleasant feeling, too bad to compare with waking from sleep. Perhaps, from a distance, it could be compared to the feeling of a terribly bad nightmare. He felt a strong arm around his shoulder, a soft hand touching his head and gloved fingers being snapped close to his face. The latter, he acknowledged, were from Ignis.

He struggled to respond, to say anything, but there was not enough air to speak and, at the same time, to breathe. He had to choose between one thing and the other, but he still wanted to show Ignis that he was listening to the snap of his fingers. Maybe trying to hold the advisor's hand would help demonstrate that he was really there, but his arms looked like they were made of a kind of 'electric gelatin' and he soon realized that the only thing he could really command in his body was, even if in a way. rudimentary, your breathing.

"Easy... Easy, now... Can you breathe for me?" It was definitely Ignis speaking, the sound of the voice filtering through the cotton in his ears and coming to him as something distant and vague. This definitely has to be a nightmare. It wasn't possible... And he couldn't even remember anything, other than what happened at that very moment, the unpleasant sensations he felt running through his body. Your head, your eyes, your mouth, your arms... Nothing responded to your commands or worked as it should.

The gloved hand that snapped his fingers had stopped making that annoying and wonderful noise that brought him back to reality and was now warming Prompto's face while another gloved hand continued to check his pulse.

 _This is Iggy... Come on, man... What's going on with me?_ His thoughts went at a thousand miles per minute, screaming how vulnerable he was and how shameful it was as his body responded like a snail, slowly and slowly, and very painfully. He felt sick and the world around him seemed to spin at incredible speed, and he almost vomited, but the liquid in his stomach stopped somewhere between his stomach and his mouth. He could only make spasms, as if vomited air, and nothing more.

"Breathe, darling... in and out… in and out, slowly..." Ignis guided, in the most calm and sweet voice that the guys had ever heard from him. Prompto didn't have the breath to answer, so he only tried to shake his head once, but his neck didn't seem have the ability to hold your own head.

 _Damn it, my lungs don't obey me! Did I have a panic attack right in the middle of the caves? What the fuck, what the fuck..._ The blond kept saying to himself.

He realized, then, that it was Gladio who held him together with Noctis, as if two men were needed to hold a small guy in an almost sitting position. His throat was dry as if he had not had any liquid in centuries, and his lips tingled as if with pins and needles. He even tried to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth. Every muscle in his body felt limp, uncomfortable and shaky.

“Prom, can you try to open your eyes for me? Please, just let me see your blue eyes a little...” Ignis asked, a tone of pleading in his voice, a tone that Prompto did not yet know. He had never overheard the counselor talking to someone like that and doubted whether he was really listening properly. So he tried his best, concentrating all his forces on his eyelids, mentally ordering them to open.

The head seemed to be working too fast compared to the body, and Prompto could be sure he had a panic attack. And he couldn't believe that the crisis had happened while they were fighting! _What the hell!_ He grunted. _I'm really pathetic! I had a panic attack and blacked out in the middle of the battle! It can only be this! So they are like that, dismayed... damn it!_

 _Eyelids, obey me... Open! Please open..._ the blond boy whined inside his own mind.

First he saw only a blur, the image in front of him going in and out of focus as if his eyes were playing like he did with his camera, looking for something to focus on. That was when he got some reward for his effort.

It was Ignis' emerald eyes.

They were fixed on him and filled with a concern that Prompto did not understand. He wanted to raise his arms, smile, hug his friends and ask what was going on, but he was not capable of any of this. Only, and finally, I was able to breathe even with my lungs on fire, and blink my shaky eyelids.

"That very good. Now tell me, how are you feeling?” Again, it was the advisor talking to him through cotton.

"Nutmeg…" He stammered, forcing his vocal cords to work as he exhaled. So maybe he could say something, and it seemed to work, for Ignis's eyes looked wet now. Or was it the blurred vision that played a bad joke on him?

“Oh! He still remembers Ignis' nutmeg! This is my blond chocobo puppy! What a big shit, blondie! You gave us quite a scare!” Gladio spoke, his voice deep as a brown bear. The voice still resonated far away for Prompto, the cotton in his ears still there, filtering out the sounds.

“So, what was it like to travel to the Astrals' home and return? Did you take a photo there so we can see what it looks like?”

"Sorry…" Now Prompto seemed to be better coordinating his voice and breathing. "No shots ..."

Gladio let out a loud, nervous laugh, maybe it wasn't exactly funny, but maybe out of anxiety and relief. And, taking the lead from Ignis at the interrogation, he continued.

"He's back! So, how are you feeling? Any news to tell about the gods of Eos?”

"Lung... burn..." The blonde replied, squeezing his eyelids as if speaking was still a big effort. Prompto probably still felt the aftermath of the necromancer's attack on his burning lungs. He was exhausted and could not understand the content of anything that Gladio spoke to him. His thoughts seemed to disconnect from reality and the shield could see the blue eyes roll back.

"Come on, blondie, stay with us! No taking a nap now!" Gladio said nervously as he shook the boy. Finding Prompto unconscious was distressing, however, seeing the boy's eyes roll back was a worse scene, perhaps. But the blonde listened to his request, and the blue eyes tried to focus on Ignis, ahead.

"Noctis, I need a Hi-Potion!" The adviser asked, his hands were busy holding his face still pale and cold and checking the young gunner's pulse. He was promptly attended to with a bluish and shiny glass already uncapped.

"It would be better if you tried to drink some of this, do you think you can do it, dear?" He then approached the rim of the vial to Prompto's trembling lower lip, tilting the glass gently so that some of the liquid would seep into the boy's mouth.

Noctis, at that moment, had already stood up and kept his hands on his waist, anxious to see his friend react, he was not used to that stillness. He looked around, and he looked at Prompto, and he walked around Gladio and Ignis, and he went down again next to his friend, he was restless and didn't know how to help. The counselor's request came at the right time to make him feel useful there.

After a few painful sips of that bitter liquid, Prompto seemed more conscious and thanked the Six for having potions and magical elixirs. As he swallowed, he could feel the heat spreading from his chest to his limbs, it was as if he was regaining his strength and the electricity would stop making everything tremble. It was not a bad heat capable of burning, it was a good and cozy heat. His arms and legs went from being jellies to being flesh and bones again, and he seemed to be able to support his head again on his neck. His body felt more whole now, instead of the limp heap it looked before. Even the sound of the rain was felt he was able to hear again.

Near the entrance to the Daurell tunnels, where they were, there were large semi-open areas through which the deep roots of the trees slipped, forming sinister curtains of roots that hung from the ceiling to almost the floor, along with stalagmites made of limestone and rusty rocks. There were also openings that connected the interior of the cave with the external area above, through which rainwater entered. Ignis had already realized this and thanked the Six because, if Noctis was in danger, he could quickly warp and flee from there reaching the upper edge of the damp tunnel.

"Bones... daemons... where?" Prompto looked for any signs of movement out of the corner of his eyes, but everything was quiet except for the sound of rain going through one of those open areas and echoing inside the cave.

“They were all gone when we finished the damn necromancer, Prom! You had to see how Ignis froze that ghost and the skulls disappeared into the air, exploding in smoke balls like that rock'n'roll clip that Gladio made us watch when we lost the bet of who could do more pushups during his training for crownsguard...” It was the prince's turn to comment. Not only that, he chattered in one breath, as if trying to bring some normality to what they had experienced.

Between the enemy's killing blow at Prompto and that moment, only a handful of minutes had passed, and the sound of the storm was still audible.

“Come on, blondie? It's still raining and there must be a lot of boring daemons around here, we have to move... Do you think you can do it?” Asked Gladio, organizing things. Ignis seemed much more concerned with the state of Prompto than with everything else around him. But he soon realized the intention of the shield and also managed to raise himself and support the youngest, if necessary. The gunner was still pale, his skin felt like wax, his breathing had not yet normalized, but it looked like it was a good time to try to get out of that damp and dangerous place.

“I'm going to get you up now, okay? On the count of three. One, two and... there we go...” The shield suspended the blonde holding him under his arms, but the sudden change of position made the nausea and dizziness return with full force and he would have vomited the entire contents of his stomach if the potion had not already been absorbed by his body.

"Whoa... nonono... please..." He exclaimed, more like a sigh than a coherent speech, the world again darkening and his legs going limp again. If the planet spins on its own axis, now he could be sure that it did, because his world spun much faster than he could keep up with.

Before Ignis or Noctis could move forward to do anything, the shield was quick to change position and hold the boy... The left arm was already under the boy's armpits, while the right arm raised the boy from the back of the knees. Glacio lifted and held him to his chest, a mixture of anguish and concern. The boy was as light as a feather and Gladio did not remember that, he seemed to be holding his younger sister as a child.

"I caught you, little chocobo..." He said, a little dismayed, looking for some answer in Ignis' eyes, when the boy softened in his arms like a rag doll. The counselor took advantage of Prompto's drooping arm and, before placing it on top of the other's lap, checked his pulse. It was strong, not as ideal as it was ideal, but enough and the breathing seemed more regular. The face, lips and skin of the arms were still pale, but not as pale as before, and the small cut on his temple was gone, only the dried blood trapped in the blond hair remained. That left Ignis a little relieved, while his gloved, trembling fingers unbuttoned his overcoat to cover the baby's wet body and warm it up at least a little. But the cold he seemed to feel was the least of the problems at the time.

"He passed out, he must be really exhausted." The adviser explained, much to the relief of the prince and the shield. "I know a lot about the effects after a phoenix down, and Prom fits the descriptions of the books, but I had never seen it with my own eyes" He commented, trying to look normal, while nervously adjusting the frame of his glasses on his face.

"We must return before more daemons appear, there would be no way to defend or attack properly. One day, we will still need to return to these caves because of a dungeon that is hidden in one of these tunnels, however, that day will not be today. And, due to the state of Prompto, it won't be in the near future either.” Ignis guided, while putting his own mind in place and devised a strategy to get out of there.

“As far as I can tell, we are not that far from the entrance. We just need to remember to go left when we find the fork...”.

Without wasting time and all of Ignis’s explanations, Gladio began his journey in hurried and long steps, making sure that the other two would follow him. The faster they got to the motel, the faster they could let Prompto rest and recover.

The prince and the advisor followed him closely when Noctis gasped, his voice choked, his eyes full of tears ready to fall. At that moment, he grunted, rubbing the back of his hands over his eyes with wounded pride, the same day he was crying a second time. And again, it was not possible to hold back the tears that now flowed like true streams down the delicate face.

"Specs..." Noctis called in a choked voice, trying in vain to look strong. "He'll be fine, won't he?"

"I hope... I sincerely hope so." Ignis replied. He didn't really know if everything was really going to be okay, but he would do everything in his power to make it happen.

(to be continued)


	4. The price of a nutmeg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As promised, the last chapter.  
> In this, pain and suffering, and many hugs and affection for our chocobros.

It was a big relief for the three guys when they arrived from Three Z's Motel without any further concerns about Prompto. Truly, he didn't even move the entire way in Gladio's arms or when he was gently taken into the room.

Noctis took off his wet clothes and put on dry clothes, while Ignis filled the tub with hot water. The shield held the youngest with such affection that it appeared to be holding its own sister Iris. In any case, the two were very similar when it came to body size. He waited patiently while the other checked the water temperature and looked for what he would need to take care of Prompto, towels, soap, clean clothes.

With everything in place, while Gladio still held the smaller one, he removed his boots and socks and looked for a suitable place to accommodate the items.

In fact, he was really calming his own heart. The blond was always full of modesty about his body and avoided undressing in front of others. And now he was there, fragile and exposed.

"Put it here, Gladio..." asked the counselor, when there was a reasonable amount of hot water. “Hold him while I remove these dirt and muddy clothes... I know he doesn't like to be exposed in front of us, but there is no other way to do that. We can't leave him in wet and dirty clothes and I don't think he will wake up anytime soon...”.

“Can you handle it, here? Do you need me for anything else?” Gladio asked. He knew that Ignis preferred to take care of Prompto alone. Receiving a kind look and a slight smile of thanks in response, the shield left the bathroom, taking care to leave the door ajar and went to change his own clothes.

The prince was sitting with his back against the wall, in one of the two beds in the room, with his head down.

"I'm missing Prompto complaining that I'm doing some kind of striptease..." commented Gladio, perhaps more to himself than to try to get the younger boy out of that depressed way. He knew that everyone would need time to absorb what had happened to the gunner.

For the first time since the fall of Insomnia, the thoughts of the three were in a single focus: seeing the little yellow chocobo of the group well. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room, they could not even hear water sounds so soft that Ignis worked.

The fact that the rented room had a bathtub was fundamental, bathing Prompto unconscious in a shower would be a complicated task... but the small bathtub was ideal. The counselor knelt and was able to calmly hold the boy's head against his shoulder, while passing the soap on his slender and limp arms and legs. Not that much cleaning was necessary, but he knew that the youngest was vain and would not be forgiven if he woke up all dirty in bed, even if the sheets were yellowed, they were clean after all.

He would like to leave Prompto dressed in the yellow chocobos print underwear that the boy wore. It would be a lot of humiliation for the youngest self-esteem to have his privacy violated beyond that, but he needed to keep it all warm and dry. He would solve this little problem later, it was better to think of Prompto as if he were Noctis as a small child. It was easier that way.

With affection, he held the boy as he removed the drain plug from the bathtub so that water would drain and take all those little bloody remnants from his hair and the cave gravel mud that were on his arms and legs. It was painful to see the little blond boy so vulnerable, but it was also comforting to know that he was safe in the counselor's arms. This one pulled the big, fluffy towel that was on top of a small stool nearby, and wiped that body as much as he could. He still didn't know if he wanted more than Prompto to wake up and complain and be embarrassed or remain unconscious so that he didn't need to know all the details of what was happening at that moment.

Ignis's gentle voice returned to the room when he carried the blonde wrapped in a large towel in his arms, as he did with Noctis when he was still a small child.

He looked at each of the beds, the prince was sitting with his back against the wall in one of them, with a stern look on his feet. The shield was sitting on the other bed, on the edge, feet firmly on the floor and arms crossed waiting for the adviser and the gunner. Noctis was faster than Gladio and curled up with his back against the wall and his knees bent, almost demanding that Ignis put his friend there, close to him.

“Didn't he wake up, Specs? Not for an instant?” asked the listener, to which the counselor replied with only a glance looking at the unconscious blonde in his arms.

Almost everything else was done in absolute silence. Only the howl of the wind and the thick raindrops against the windowpane could be heard clearly. The rest of the sounds were the deep, regretful breaths of each one there. Certainly, none of them would touch on the subject of phoenix down unless Prompto himself wanted to talk about it. If it was traumatic to receive news of the dead in Insomnia through the newspaper and radio, it could be more traumatic to see death face to face, with your own eyes, and still see someone returning from the underworld.

Ignis laid the blonde carefully, still wrapped in the towel, at the feet of Noctis, who seemed to be afraid to touch his friend, afraid that he would break and disappear under his fingers. He couldn't bear to lose another person he loved. And maybe he didn't even realize how much he loved Prompto until he saw the lifeless boy in Gladio's arms.

The counselor looked for a set of comfortable shorts and blouse in the blond's backpack, went back to where he was and carefully dressed him, just as he would a sleepy child after a shower, pulling the sheet over the boy when he finished dressing it.

But there was a difference between a lonely child and an unconscious boy. Prompto did not react in any way to the movements that Ignis made with his members in order to dress him, he still looked like a rag doll ... A doll that everyone loved and missed a lot.

Only in that moment of silence, broken by raindrops, could they realize how important the cheerful gunner's voice was to maintain the morale of them all, and the three were living inside their hearts what was happening outside the window. A shower of pain was inside the soul of Gladio, Noctis and, especially, Ignis.

But it's not like that? Do you really only notice the lack of light and warmth of the sun when it is dark and cold?

Like Noctis, Gladio leaned against the wall of his own bed and opened the mushy romance book that he had left behind anyway and looked for the last page he had read. But he couldn't concentrate... with every line he read, the memory of Prompto's blue eyes in that state, lifeless, like small pieces of glass under his pale lids, reappeared in his mind and he was forced to restart reading of the paragraph... He didn't even remember who was in love with whom, or who was the villain of that book.

In a short time, Ignis appeared with two bowls of soup in his hands and handed it to the prince and the shield, and the prince didn't even care about the green and yellow objects that floated between the pieces of meat and watered his eyes imagining Prompto saying that it was real food, the best he had ever tasted in his life, that he would irritate Ignis if he didn't have all the important nutrients, anything would be good.

How Noctis wanted to hear Prompto's voice again...

And that was how, in the most complete silence, the three ate that soup, Ignis picked up the dirty dishes, and waited for Prompto to wake up...

Strangely, the first to close his eyes was Gladio. There was no use in trying to read that novel ... He couldn't concentrate on any line. Sleep was more efficient.

Then it was Noctis, who lay down beside Prompto under the sheet and ran a hand through his blond boy hair.

 _It's like Gladdy says, his hair is like the soft feathers of a chocobo…_ He stroked the silky hair until he fell asleep.

The only one who was hopelessly awake was Ignis, sitting in a chair between the two beds, with his legs crossed. He wouldn't be able to close his eyelids any longer than a blink. The vision focused on Prompto and each breath of the boy. He couldn't tell if he was really sleeping or was still unconscious. However, the most important thing is that he was there and alive.

Especially, Prompto was with them and was alive.

Hours passed before the blonde grunted, still unconscious. The rain still beat against the window glass and the early evening came slowly.

The blonde's breathing became heavy when he moaned again and Ignis hurried to look for what was happening, and smiled with the corner of his mouth when he realized that Noctis had moved in his sleep and had grabbed his best friend with both arms and squeezed him against his chest tightly, as if the blonde would run away at any moment. The prince was practically 'strangling' his friend with all his love.

Gently, the adviser 'untied' the scorer from the prince's 'claws' and was surprised to notice a beautiful pair of sapphire eyes, vivid and interrogative. The lids were still trembling, but the sapphire look was truly there.

"How are you feeling, darling?" He asked before anything, but the younger boy was still looking at him, as if he had not been able to understand what was asked. He was still confused... But Ignis's steady gaze and the faint smile on those thin lips gave him the encouragement he needed.

Before answering, Prompto tried to sit up, but his body seemed to weigh a large garula. Shockwaves still passed through his arms when he crawled to the head of the bed and managed to sit under the counselor's watchful eye.

He took a deep breath, frustrated by not being able to adjust properly and Ignis soon helped him to lean back properly. He thought he had dozed off again, because before long, the counselor was offering a small glass with a little warm vegetable stock. There were no pieces, just a thin but creamy liquid in the glass, which the boy held with shaking hands as he held it close to his nose to smell the delicious aroma.

"Little sips... This warm broth is very nutritious, Prom..."

"Sorry, Iggy... I'm sorry..."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"Hmm... I don't know... Gladdy, Noct... are they okay?” the voice came out strange, a deeper tone. It caused a soft laugh of joy in the counselor. Even after everything that had happened, the first thing the other did was to worry about his friends.

"Yes, they are fine..." he spoke in a soft voice, looking with immense affection at the other two who were sleeping and then back to the boy "How are you feeling, dear?"

"Broken... it looks like a huge catoblepa ran over me..." he explained, taking a few deep breaths while taking a sip of the warm liquid. The breath flowed between the sore ribs, it seemed that the lung was still hurt.

Because, after all, nobody lives alone. Our soul is always the nucleus of influence for other people and those four young people were magically and magnetically associated with each other.

And Prompto's conduct was an open book. His seemingly insignificant gestures reach his friends, generating unexpected resolutions to cheer them up and encourage them in the daily struggle.

But fate is something magical, just like the magic of the Lucis, and it unfolds in currents of ebb and flow. The forces that were always externalized by Prompto's vivid activity now returned in the form of love and affection.

Throughout the process, Noctis was unable to take his eyes off his friend's chest, watching the steady rise and fall, like something hypnotic. He didn't even notice when Ignis changed his own clothes and shoes and went to the kitchen to finish the lunch he had started to prepare before the whole situation happened. And for the first time in days, he was focused on something other than the royal citadel and the fall of Insomnia or the death of his father.

"This is a great way to describe the situation..." commented Ignis, with honey in his voice. He was deeply relieved to see his Prompt there, alive, talking, more like his animated version than that limp body he had in his arms a few hours ago.

"Where ... where are my clothes? I'm in my pajamas! And... without underwear! ”

"Please, receive my sincere apologies for that... I couldn't leave you in those clothes so wet, you really needed a hot shower, your temperature was still very low, almost with hypothermia after... after... ” Ignis interrupted and sighed, looking for the best words, while Prompto looked at him intently.

"Well, anyway, we were all so worried about you and..." he was going to continue but the blonde coughed hard and the advisor was quick to hold the warm glass that was in the child's hands, Ignis was still very close. In fact, he had not closed his eyes more than the time of blinking his eyelids, and he had never left close behind.

Because of the cough, Gladio, who was on the other side of the room, woke up quickly, almost in a leap, and in seconds he was standing looking at the youngest with those amber eyes, while shaking Noctis's foot.

"Oh, please, let me sleep, just a minute more, Gladady..." the prince muttered, before feeling another tug.

"Come on, Noctis, our sleeping beauty has woken up!"

“Prompto?! Oh, my friend, how are you?” Asked the prince, sitting on the bed and fixing his own disheveled hair. Prompto was still recovering from the coughing fit and Ignis, standing beside the bed, held the warm glass with one hand while the other massaged the blonde's back gently. He didn't seem bothered that Gladio and Noctis had interrupted the conversation between Prompto and he, on the contrary, he thanked the Six for the shield that woke up and removed from that embarrassing and painful conversation about why the blonde was in that state.

"Did you… note?" the gunner asked the best friend who was sitting next to him on the bed.

“Did I write it down? What should I have noted? Taking note of things is part of Ignis' job, not mine! I just have to... well... a king!" Noctis looked, making a joke about it.

"The sign... of the big truck... that hit me!" the blonde replied, still coughing and smiling. He took the glass that Ignis was offering him back, and continued to take small sips of the tasty liquid.

"It seems that the Astrals didn't want you there near them, after all!" Noctis sighed deeply and Gladio replied.

"It was Shiva... She didn't want my charm to compete with her beauty!" he said and winked at Noctis, who rolled his eyes.

"He really came back, now I'm sure." The prince commented, giving his best friend a little push.

“Oh, man, calm down, my big muscles are all sore, it hurts even the eyelid to blink, it hurts to breathe, by the Six, it seems like everything hurts! Don't make me laugh...” he said, already finishing taking the creamy nourishment that Ignis offered him.

Gladio, still laughing at the younger boys' comments, sat on the edge of the bed, near the gunner's feet and questioned, curious.

"What's up, blondie, what do you remember?" He had already had contact with people who used the phoenix down in training for the king's shield, but never anyone so close that it was possible to ask something like that, that he could tell in detail and he had great expectations that Prompto's dramatic streak kill your curiosity.

“Gladio! We don't need to talk about it now!” scolded Ignis as he carried the dishes to the kitchen, but Prompto smiled in agreement. He liked it when they cared about him. Not that he liked being the center of attention, it didn't even cross his mind, but at that moment it was good that his friends were interested in knowing what he felt. Most of the time, he joked about his emotions and pains, but it seemed serious, and he was willing to answer questions seriously.

"It's okay, Iggy, it's okay..." he searched his memory. “There were skeletons... Oh! They came up from the floor and moved around making those strange noises! Some that I couldn't get right, seemed to be kamikazes, they exploded!”

"And then?" the shield instigated. He seemed interested, as he was in his romance book. In some ways, it was a new story.

"Uh ... I don't know ... I think I heard someone approaching, or I thought I did, I don't know ... But when I saw that thing moving away from me and approaching Iggy from behind, man, I didn't even think, I just shot as many bullets as I could and ... ”Prompto became serious, looking at the sheet, stirring his fingers in the fabric.

"So, finish the story!" Gladio asked, without much shame, curious as to whether the youngest had seen up close some of the gods who watch over Eos.

"hmm... I think that giant ghost daemon looked at me, and, duuuuude, it seemed to freeze my soul... you know that movie with the girl whose head is spinning and the oracle goes there to try to take out the bad guys her spirits, and then she goes over the walls like an arachne daemon, and she turns her head and cursing him for some strange names, and he throws some magic potions at her and none of it works, and he tries some elixirs and then...".

“Prompt! When did you and Noctis have access to this type of dubious film?” Ignis was approaching, as if catching the boys in the act.

"I... uh... it was Noctis!" He pointed to his friend.

"No, no, no... It was Gladio!" and the prince pointed to the shield, which only raised its hands in surrender.

“Long-tongued children! Where's your loyalty?!” He complained, looking indignant, and everyone laughed together for the first time in many days. Except Ignis, he still had the dish towel over his shoulders as he pinched the tip of his nose and breathed deeply.

“But do you remember what happened before that? Like when you left the room, after we got back from fishing?” It was Noctis this time, he was curious too. Seeing his friend there, talking and laughing was a relief, and if he could, he would keep Prompto talking for hours and hours.

"Well... I wouldn't call that fishing, man... Maybe something like group therapy, I don't know, but it was a good thing... but when I left again, the rain was very strong , I only realized after walking... uh, like, near where the fish beat you in the fishery... ”.

"But you didn't need to remember those little details, it's not like I completely lost the fish, the line was worn anyway..." complained Noctis, crossing his arms and making an angry face, even though he was still laughing.

“It was you who asked and, gosh, there was really a big storm... I should have looked at that weather app that Iggy uses, I didn't even remember to do that, sometimes it's good to know if it's going to be sunny, or if it is going to be windy or rainy, mainly I am a photographer with a high professional qualification and...”.

“Prompto, you're getting away from it! What do you remember, really!” Noctis complained. He was already sitting with his back against the wall at an angle to the leather and his feet under Prompto's legs.

“Whoa, you don't have to poke me with that real cold foot! You know that there are socks for this kind of problems, don't you? Well... I was cold, it was wet, my boots became two pools of socks! I looked for protection at the entrance to that cave... you know, I hate caves, but it was that or continue in the rain... And I hate caves and I hate rain, why did the two of them have to happen at the same time?".

“Dude, you were at the Daurell Caverns! The best place in Eos to find damn necromancers! You missed that geography class, did you?” Noctis burst, when Ignis approached again, he sat on the chair between the two beds, watching the conversation.

That moment deserved a photo. Promised in pajamas, gesticulating as much as he could, sitting with his back on the headboard. Noctis with his back on the wall next to his friend. Gladio sitting at the foot of the bed and Ignis in the chair with his legs crossed. The blonde looked like a true storyteller and the counselor found it curious how that seemed to be doing the boy well.

But when the prince mentioned the name of the worst daemon they had ever encountered, the blonde seemed to feel all of his blood draining from his body, and a sudden cold ran down his spine. He suddenly went pale and his eyes widened and the counselor soon stood up, worried. It looked like he was seeing the ghost daemon again in front of him.

His breathing seemed to fail, and it was as if he was panicking. The counselor pulled the chair close to the boy and started rubbing his back with his gloved hands.

"Easy, Prom... We are here with you, everything is fine now..."

"Okay, I'm okay ... really, Iggy, I'm fine ..." he replied, perhaps more to try to convince himself than to convince his friends.

“Come on, boy! If you're really okay, why did you suddenly look so pale? Are you afraid of that ghost appearing in front of you again, blondie?” Gladio teased, poking the boy's leg with thick fingers and without any delicacy.

Prompto took a deep breath, as much as he could, before saying anything, and silence hung in the room for a few long seconds. He tried to compose himself, all he wanted less was to have one of his panic attacks right there in front of his friends. Little did he know that he had been through much worse.

"Nonono... I'm not afraid of any damn ghost daemon... And that I remembered that I totally forgot to bring Iggy's nutmeg that I went to get from that damn Daurell Caverns! I think you’ll have to learn recipes that don’t take nutmeg from daurell, Iggy because I don’t want to go back there to look anytime soon…”.

Ignis smiled at the boy's innocence, still worried about one of the easiest ingredients to buy at any roadside grocery store.

"Is that why you were worried?" Ignis risked asking.

“Yes, absolutely, and why else would it be? I don't want to have a brain concussion or a head injury and be out again! This is very embarrassing! And all because of nutmeg!” explained Prompto.

"So, do you think you've been gone all this time, from that fight with the daemon in the cave until now because of a brain concussion?" It was Gladio's turn to ask, intrigued by the kind of reasoning that the youngest had undertaken. He exchanged a somewhat confused look with Ignis who returned the look and looked at Noctis. The three did not know whether or not to tell about the phoenix down and the process of returning the dead to life.

“I can still feel a bump here on my head… why? Did anything else happen that I don't remember?” explained the gunner, running his fingers where there was a cut caused by her falling on the cave floor after the necromancer's sudden death spell.

Ignis had not yet decided whether or not to tell the boy what had happened, but continued to stroke his back.

"You did get a concussion, yes, and it was pretty ugly, man, I'm glad your head is as hard as a chocobo's..." Noctis said, tapping his blonde head gently with his knuckles.

“We needed to beat the skeletons, but it was easy, the big daemon was more difficult, but the frost spell left him vulnerable and we attacked with all his might, you would have seen if he hadn't taken a nap... And Gladio went with his sword and hum, and Ignis went with the daggers and zap zap...” The prince spoke, imitating the way of fighting with the shield and the advisor, imitating the sound of weapons with his voice, complementing what the blond had already had counted, while the older two watched, curiously, the direction of the conversation. "And then he released some rays, but hit the rocks, and the skeletons kept showing up, but when we finished with him..."

Noctis stopped talking when Prompto yawned at length. The massage that Ignis did on her back had an immediate calming effect, it looked like she had taken some quick-acting sleep medicine.

"I heard you and now are you bored?" the prince pretended to be bored, he knew that his friend's animation would not last long and he would soon wish to sleep again. Ignis always told him that sleep was the best medicine for the vast majority of the body's ills.

"Come on, you better lie down and sleep some more... We can talk another time..." said Ignis, already helping the boy to lie down again. The counselor pushed the pillow aside a little and sat with his back on the headboard, gently pushing the younger boy, so that Prompto's head rested quietly close to him and he could stroke that golden hair like his sun. The youngest snuggled closer and hugged Ignis around the waist, cringing. There, he knew, he would be protected from any danger.

The gunner still cast a lost, sleepy look at his friend and Noctis nodded his head in agreement.

"Yes, you can sleep... We're going to stay here with you, aren't we, guys?" the friend guaranteed, as he pulled the sheet to cover Prompto and Ignis' legs. It seemed that the boy had immediately fallen asleep as soon as his head rested on the pillow, while placing one leg on top of the counselor's legs, which were stretched along the side of the bed.

"This bed is really tough! We are all sitting on it and it just creaked a little!" Gladio commented.

The four were huddled together, as if they were in a camp tent, protected by magical runes. However, at that moment, they were protected by something much more important.

Brotherly love.

Something the Oracle had predicted would be the glue between them when he asked Prompto to become friends with Noctis.

The shield still lifted his feet off the floor and pushed himself on the bed, touching the same look as Noctis. It was as if the three were making a 'cocoon' around Prompto, lying down. Gladio occupied the entire rear of the bed, his feet almost meeting that of Ignis, who occupied the entire side of the bed. The blonde slept and Noctis was sitting on the wall parallel to Ignis' legs.

Gladio tried to swing to test the strength of the wooden furniture, but the advisor scolded him.

"If this bed breaks, in addition to causing damage, we will need to compensate the motel owner for the damage..."

"This is very similar to the camp, only the fire is missing!"

"If I am going to make you satisfied, I will lend you my space in the kitchen..."

After the 'test' and even with all the voices, Prompto seemed quiet, and that prompted Noctis to ask.

"And then? Will we say or not? He has a right to know what happened, Gladio... Don't you agree with me, Specs?” the prince demanded. He didn't like to hide things from his best friend. After everything that had happened in the caves and the recent events involving Insomnia, what the prince least wanted was to keep any secret from his friend.

"Well... I can't see what the benefit would be of insisting on this matter if Prompto doesn't ask about it... It would be better if we..." Ignis stopped talking when he noticed the gunner babbling something.

The younger boy's arms were definitely tight around the counselor's waist, and that was his real pillow. Ignis let his long fingers sink into the blonde's head, between his breasts, brushing the digital pulp on the scalp under his hand, while the younger boy moved his mouth, as if trying to say something to them.

"Darling, we woke you up..."

“A phoenix down, Iggy...”

"What did you say, Promp..." Ignis asked, next to the blonde's ear.

"A phoenix down is a very expensive price for nutmeg..." Prompto replied, more asleep than awake.

The three friends listened perfectly to what the little blond chocobo said about the phonix down and the nutmeg. Those words were enough for everyone to be sure that the gunner knew exactly what had happened at the Daurell Caverns.

"And a very small price to pay to have your smile between us, again..." replied the advisor, not sure if the other had really listened.

The other two agreed with what Ignis said to Prompto, and took a deep breath, leaning their heads against the wall where their backs were. The counselor also took a deep breath, relieved, finally. Looking for nutmeg in the Daurell Caverns had been a dubious choice of blonde, but it was the choice that brought the brothers back together in one brotherly love.

\---- the end ----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read, left kudos and comments.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic about my boys, my dear chocobros. So, I apologize if something is terribly wrong...  
> Also, thanks for reading.  
> PS: I read and reread the story and end up finding things to fix... I remember Ignis so much, so perfect in everything he does, that I imagine his voice correcting my text...
> 
> If you can, let me know if you liked it. That would make me very happy. ^-^


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